The Paris Saint-Germain winger will come up against the Barcelona star on Tuesday evening in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final and Moura was quick to heap praise on the Argentine.

“Messi is a genius, that says it all. I’m a big fan of Messi. He’s the best player in the world right now and one of the best that I've seen play," he told El Mundo Deportivo.

“It’s also true that to get to the level that he’s got to, he’s had high-quality team-mates by his side. [Barcelona] have a very solid defence and players who can make things tough for you in the middle of the pitch, like Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and the indefatigable Dani Alves.”

The 20-year-old then highlighted les Parisiens' own individual threat in the shape of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“[Ibra] is a player who makes the difference and is our leading scorer and star of our team. He’s well respected and, with his ability and experience, he will help us a lot."